1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a viewpoint setting apparatus for setting a viewpoint, provided by a three-dimensional model, on a display monitor for a computer graphics system. Particularly, it relates to a viewpoint setting apparatus which can set the direction of the viewpoint from the model by taking into account physical forces which may be applied to an actual model in an actual environment. According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a computer graphic very close to an actual view on the display monitor. The present invention is advantageous when producing an animated image using computer graphics.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer graphic systems are widely utilized in various fields, for example, in television game systems, in education systems, in CAD systems, etc. For example, in television game systems, almost all images are formed as animated images, and each motion of the model is close to an actual motion in real time in an actual environment. In general, this technique is called "virtual reality". However, the motion of the model on the computer graphics is not very close to the actual motion because various physical forces which may be applied to the actual model in the actual environment are not taken into account in the calculation of the computer graphic.
Accordingly, the present invention improves the virtual reality technique and realizes a computer graphic which is very close to an image of an actual motion by setting a direction of the viewpoint on the model (i.e., viewline from the model) based on a calculation, which takes into account physical forces, for example, centrifugal force, reaction force, gravity, etc.